Winter Harp O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Arnie and I went to see Winter Harp in Maple Ridge.  It was awesome.  I can't wait to go again next year.  After the performance we went to Palliotti's Italian restaurant and had a lovely dinner.  It was a great day out.

Sewing for Christmas

I made a candle mat for a Secret Santa exchange at my quilt guild.  It is so cute, I think I will make one for my self for next Christmas.

I also made some little yo yo trees that are tree decorations for a ornament exchange.  A few of my friends will be getting the little trees too.

Baby quilt

I made this baby quilt for a young man that my hubby works for.  It is a first baby for him and his wife. I

UFO finished

I have been busy finishing a UFO called Spring Breeze.  It was an online mystery and I am sure glad to have it finished.  It was the first quilt quilted on my new sewing machine.  What a nice machine! I think it should be called Summer Cacophony because it is so loud! (the quilt, not the machine lol)

New Sewing Room

November has been so busy for me.  I decided to turn my son's old bedroom into my new sewing room.  I had thought of doing it a few years ago, but I loved my bright, sunny yellow room and although it was a tight squeeze it was comfortable.  Well the squeeze has gotten tighter and so I felt it was time to give my self more space.  I took the room from pumpkin orange to sunset glow. Well it is still orange, but a more glowy orange.  I don't have as much shelf room as I had in my old space, but I will figure out something there.  Maybe use up some of the stuff I have stored ha ha.  So here are the pictures of the old room and the new room.

Old room

A little hard to cut out fabric on my cutting desk

The computer will be going and then I will have a design wall here and my ironing board.

Cutting desk uncluttered, hopefully it will stay this way ha ha.

Auntie Ruth

Ruth and Arnie in 2009

Ruth'sdaughters Mary, Donna and Carol and Carol's granddaughter.

The family and friends on Ruth's patio.  Look at the view!

Arnie and I

Michael with his 3rd cousin's wife

Arnie's Auntie Ruth was killed in a car accident in early September.  It was a tragic loss to the van der Est family.  She was the matriarch who held the extended family together.  Her brothers are all gone, but she use to have reunions  as the families of her brothers scattered, she brought them back together again. We were sad to have to miss the family reunion in August and had we known it would be the last one, we would have rearranged our plans to have been there.  The church in Campbell River was packed to the rafters, a tribute to a woman who had many, many friends and loved ones. She had told her daughter that when she passed away she wanted her family and close friends to have a barbeque at her house by the river.  So we had that last get together with out her.  Her generosity was extended even after her death.

Mug Rugs

 

 More mug rugs.  They are fun and fast to make.  I decided to be a little creative  this time so I pulled out an ugly wall hanging that I began a few years ago.  I wasn't too crazy about it because it just lacked a spark. I cut it up, rearranged some of the elements, added a few cupcakes to each one and they turned out so cute.  The cupcakes had bright pinks and reds on them that made the mug rugs look lively.

My original, insipid wall hanging

A few alterations

Throw in some cupcakes

Finished cute mug rugs

A day in Steveston

Arnie and I went to Steveston  on a gorgeous day in August.  I haven't been to Steveston in many years although with the new bridge over the Fraser, you can cut off a good half hour of the trip.  It took us a little over an hour to get there but coming back we hit rush hour so it was a two hour trip.  Steveston is a little touristy town at the bottom of Richmond about 35 minute drive from Vancouver. At the early part of the 20th century it was an established fishing village with 28 canneries along the river.  Now only one cannery is still in operation.  The canneries employed a great number of Chinese and Japanese immigrants, particularly the Chinese who had come to B.C. to work on the railroad.

This old church was actually a thrift store

This looked like a really neat restaurant

We bought a freshly caught Sockeye salmon from this lovely girl

We went on a tour of a cannery that was turned into a museum.  It was fascinating  to see all the old machinery and to hear of how the fishermen caught the fish in very primitive boats with very rough conditions.

Mom's 80th Birthday

Nicole and Shannon with her new baby

Mom receiving gifts

Gorgeous cake

Mom with Melvina and Sandra, Laura in the background , my 3 oldest friends

My Mommy and I

Melvina and Jimmy

I gave a lunch for my Mom's 80th Birthday on August 14th .  Some of my cousins came, my Aunt Louise and some friends of mine that my Mom has know for as long as I've known them.  We had a great day and an excellent lunch provided by Safeway (sandwich platters are the way to go!)  I know my mom had a great time, she's still talking about it!

Ozark Garden

I am taking a wonderful class on Quilt University called Ozark Garden by Lily Kerns.  She is a talented, award winning teacher and I am so lucky to be able to take a class from her in cyberspace, because I would not ever have the opportunity in physical life.  I am so in awe of modern technology  because it allows us chances to do things we wouldn't otherwise be able to do.

The class has taught me to paper piece on the front of the pattern and save all the ripping out.  I've really enjoyed learning that technique.  This is my quilt to date, I still have a lot of work to do.  It won't remain in that configuration, but here it is!

table runner

I started this table runner a few years ago when I belong to a small stitching group that use to get together Tuesday afternoon.  I didn't want to take my sewing machine so this was an easy hand sewing project to work on.  I don't go to that group anymore as they moved, and I got too busy, but I finally finished the project. I found this in an Australian quilting magazine.

Two little rug mugs

I had these two orphaned blocks from a swap I had been involved in quite a few years ago, so I turned them into little rug mugs.  I gave the one with the two geisha to Nikki.

Canadiana wrap up party

Pat's quilt all finished.  One of two!

My quilt still in the block stage

Susan's quilt still in the block stage too.

Susan Hillis's gorgeous quilt

Kathy's quilt in batiks

Love the red background

gorgeous quilt

Pat with her quilt

Sandy's quilt all finished

We went to our instructor's home to have a really nice potluck lunch and wrap up party. Dianne  has a beautiful home in South Burnaby on Marine Drive.  She has it decorated with some beautiful antiques and her sewing room is something else.  It is on the ground level and walks out onto her lovely terraced back yard.  She has the sliding glass doors, so the room gets lots of natural day light.  We played a Canadian trivia game, in which I did not so hot and a game where we had to figure out what different antique household items were.  Our lunch was fantastic and it was so nice to see the quilts that our classmates had made.  Her other class attended also, so it was nice to get to know some ladies from Dianne's guild.  Some people had their quilts completely finished.  Mine is still in the block stage.

My 56th Birthday

My family

 Well, what happened!  I am now 56.  I had a lovely Birthday with my children despite the fact that we lost dear Ozzy that morning.  The day didn't start off well, but my family helped me get through it.  I had my mom and mother in law and my son's girl friend over and we had some nice chinese food.  My kids got me a tirimisu cake that was delicious.  We watched the funniest ventriloquist on TV.  His name is Terry Fator and not only does he do ventriloquism he impersonates famous singers while he is doing it.  He is just awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YveEjinv5T0&feature=related

My delicious Birthday Cake

Brittany, Jim, Nicole, my mom